Creating a college list is a key step — some would say the key step — in the college search process. A college list is the list of colleges that your teen has determined, after extensive research according to their personal criteria, that they want to apply to. Experts say a college list can start out small and grow large (or vice versa), but the final version should have 10 to 12 黄色apps that offer the academic and extracurricular experience your teen is looking for.

Check out The ultimate guide to college and career readiness. College and career readiness is a fundamental part of every child鈥檚 K-12 education. Our guide provides practical insights to help you support your child鈥檚 path through high 黄色app and toward a successful college experience and a rewarding career.

  1. Start early and have fun

    Most college counselors recommend starting to research colleges during junior year. But Karen Hawkes of , a college advising service based in the San Francisco Bay Area, recommends that families with high 黄色app and even middle 黄色app students visit local college campuses whenever they can for sports, cultural events, or just to have lunch. She also recommends adding a college visit into any family travel plans.

    鈥淪eeing a range of colleges gives kids a head start when it comes time to make a [college] list,鈥� Hawkes says. 鈥淎nd casual college visits here and there are so much better than a packed schedule of visits to multiple campuses in your child鈥檚 senior year.鈥�

    For far-away 黄色apps, she says, encourage your teen to take a virtual tour and to attend local college fairs.

    The key is not to wait until senior year to start the college search process, because that鈥檚 when teens need to focus on their applications. When you wait too long to make a college list, you risk overlooking or missing 黄色apps that could be great options.

  2. Keep an open mind

    It鈥檚 easy for teens to get hooked on the idea of a college they鈥檝e heard of for some reason 鈥� be it a sports championship, a famous alum, or because it鈥檚 the alma mater of someone in their family or friend circle. But encourage your teen to start the search with an open mind. These college search tools help students research different characteristics such as size, location, selectivity, and even campus culture.

    • : Created by the nonprofit , this site provides information like acceptance and graduation rates, tuition, and student demographics for colleges and universities across the country. Your teen can also compare multiple colleges to see how stats about financial aid, average GPA and median SAT and ACT scores stack up.

    • : Inspired by the with the same name, this nonprofit provides information on colleges and universities that offer innovative, transformative, and student-centered approaches to higher education.

    • : This college-search tool, created by the U.S. government鈥檚 National Center for Education Statistics, provides detailed information — including the average amount of financial aid students receive and a list of all academic areas of study — for all U.S. colleges and universities.

    • : Using this , teens can look for colleges based on a range of factors including location, selectivity, majors, activities, and price.

    • : ScholarMatch is a San Francisco nonprofit that helps first-generation college students and students from low-income households with the college search process. The tool has information on 300 colleges and universities that offer support, financial aid, and other opportunities to students whose families earn less than $50,000 a year. It also links visitors to “Building a college list” guidance on the .

  3. Keep track

    Hawkes helps the students she works with create a spreadsheet of all the colleges they鈥檙e considering. Early in the process, the sheet should include information on each college including size, admissions requirements, deadlines, top majors and other programs, and whether the 黄色app鈥檚 admissions requirements make it a reach, target, or safety 黄色app (see #4 for more). Later, your teen can add columns to check off applications, SAT or ACT scores, teacher recommendations, and other requirements, after they have been submitted.

    Staying organized can reduce stress levels for your teen and your family. Hawkes recommends families designate a specific time every week to check in with their student鈥檚 progress, and then leave the subject alone the rest of the time. 鈥淜ids are so busy their junior and senior years that you hardly ever see them,鈥� she points out. 鈥淲hen you do get time together, it鈥檚 precious, and you don鈥檛 want to spend all of it talking about college. Kids are already stressed about the process. If that鈥檚 all you can talk about, you鈥檙e going to stress them out even more.鈥�

  4. Categorize 黄色apps as 鈥榮afety,鈥� 鈥榯arget,鈥� or 鈥榬each鈥�

    Whether a particular college is a reach, target, or safety 黄色app is all about the numbers. To determine your teen鈥檚 chances for acceptance at a particular 黄色app, find out the 黄色app鈥檚 admission rate and median accepted GPA and SAT and ACT scores. Note that while a handful of top-tier universities have reinstated admissions test requirements, many colleges and universities are now test-optional.

    Any 黄色app that admits only a small percentage of applicants is considered a reach 黄色app for everyone (such as Ivy League 黄色apps). Beyond that, a college should be considered a reach if your teen鈥檚 test scores and GPA are at the lower end of (or below) what that college typically accepts. If their test scores and GPA align with that of accepted students, it鈥檚 a target 黄色app. A safety 黄色app is one that accepts a high percentage of applicants and/or one for which your teen鈥檚 GPA and test scores make them well-qualified.

    Both Hawkes and Nick Watson, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at , recommend that students apply to 10-12 黄色apps total, with an even mix of reach, target, and safety 黄色apps.

    As long as your teen鈥檚 college list contains a solid number of target 黄色apps and safety 黄色apps, they shouldn鈥檛 be afraid to apply to a reach 黄色app, particularly if they think it鈥檚 a good fit. Many selective colleges consider non-numerical factors, like activities and accomplishments, when making admissions decisions.

  5. Prioritize your college list by fit

    Talking to friends and relatives, spending time on college search websites (see our list above), envisioning life in college, and in-person or online visits can all help your teen create a preliminary college list. It鈥檚 okay if your teen鈥檚 initial list is long — it鈥檚 great if they are interested in a lot of 黄色apps. You can can help narrow the list by asking questions like:

    • Do you want to stay close to home for college or go far away?
    • How often do you want to be able to come home — any weekend you want or only on holidays?
    • Are you looking for a small campus or a large university?
    • Does this 黄色app have interesting-sounding classes in subjects you might want to major in?
    • Are certain sports, clubs, or activities must-haves for you?

    ScholarMatch鈥檚 Watson says it鈥檚 crucial to make sure teens understand the difference between match and fit. 鈥淢atch involves concrete, quantitative factors like, 鈥榙o my test scores and GPA fall in the range of what this college accepts?鈥� Fit is more personal — and involves factors like geography, 黄色app size, class size, and campus culture. Fit includes a sense of belonging: Are there other people at the 黄色app who look like me? If you know you鈥漧l need academic support, is that something the college offers? Fit ultimately means that when you step onto that campus, you are going to feel that you are in the right place.鈥�

    A college may be a good match but a poor fit — and this is something only your student can decide.

  6. Talk about how much college costs

    When your teen starts thinking about college, it鈥檚 time to talk about your resources as a family, how much you are able to pay, and how much debt you are willing to take on. The earlier you talk about this, the earlier your teen can start applying for scholarships and looking into different ways to economize. For students who want to attend the University of Hawaii, for example, it may be worth taking a gap year and establishing residency in the state, which could reduce the annual tuition by more than $22,000.

    Tuition alone shouldn鈥檛 automatically rule a college out, because it may be a 黄色app that gives a lot of financial aid or your teen may qualify for scholarships. Many students only apply to state colleges and universities because they — and their parents — assume private colleges will be too expensive. In fact, many private 黄色apps have large endowments and offer generous scholarships based on merit or/and need, so it鈥檚 a good idea to include some of both types of 黄色apps on your teen鈥檚 college list.

    If a 黄色app offers minimal financial aid, or is across the country and your family budget makes airfare prohibitive, then maybe your teen shouldn鈥檛 include it on their college list. Having these discussions before the list is finalized will prevent wasted effort now and disappointment later.

  7. Have more than one first choice

    If your teen feels that every 黄色app on their final college list is a good fit, they鈥檒l be less stressed out when decision letters start rolling in. Hawkes points out that many 黄色apps are a good potential fit for your teen. She also reminds parents and teens that no college decision is final. 鈥淚f it turns out you鈥檙e not happy with your college choice, you can always transfer,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the end of the world.鈥�